Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to introduce a motion. Increasing RCMP Responses in Hay River.
WHEREAS the use of drugs and related violent crime is on the rise in the Northwest Territories;
AND WHEREAS the road system transports drugs into the Northwest Territories and Hay River is becoming a hub for distribution of drugs throughout the Northwest Territories;
AND WHEREAS police reporting in Hay River demonstrates that there is a rise in mischief, assault, drug trafficking, and theft under $5000 in the community;
AND WHEREAS many residents of Hay River and other South Slave communities fear for their safety;
AND WHEREAS the mandate of the 20th Legislative Assembly is to work with law enforcement to create and strengthen tools that can be used to disrupt and combat the drug trade and associated criminal activity;
AND WHEREAS a canine unit was previously deployed in Hay River but ended in 2018, and the only canine unit in the Northwest Territories is located in Yellowknife;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Member for Deh Cho, that the Government of the Northwest Territories reinstate the Royal Canadian Mounted Police canine unit in Hay River;
AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police collaborate and respond specifically to the rise in crime in Hay River;
AND FURTHERMORE, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a respond to this motion within 120 days.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. To the motion. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the violence and the rise of drugs in small communities and throughout the Northwest Territories. We know the most important -- or the most often drug are transported in the NWT by road from the provinces. Fort Resolution is just a hundred kilometers from Hay River. N'dilo, Dettah is right next door to the city of Yellowknife. And Lutselk'e is just down the road.
Mr. Speaker, as the drug trade, assault, crimes and violence increase, for example in Hay River, we see the same trend in Fort Resolution and throughout the NWT. Assault, possession of firearms, and drug trafficking are becoming more common occurrences in small communities and in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, monthly police reports for the community of Hay River shows mischief and assault are very common. Since December 2022, there have been an average of 53 calls a month related to mischief, over 1.5 calls every single day in Hay River related to mischief. During the same time, there were nearly 7.5 calls about assault per month.
Mr. Speaker, almost two assaults are being reported to the RCMP every single week in Hay River. For one example, we have 33 communities in the Northwest Territories, and this is out of control. In December 2022, there were three drug-related trafficking occurrences. In April 2024, this number jumped to 16.
Mr. Speaker, this is four drug trafficking occurrences happening every week. Before the evacuation last summer, there were 16 reported theft under $5,000 in June. This jumped to 21 thefts under 5,000 in October. The police states that there -- since the return of the evacuation, there has been an occurrence of a property crime, which is suspected to be linked to the illicit drug trade.
For residents in the South Slave region and throughout the NWT, it is beginning to feel like the drug trade is out of control. Where are these drugs travelling? We see more drugs and weapons like brass knuckles being used in small communities in the NWT. This is why today I bring forward a motion, second by the Member from the Deh Cho. I also bring in issue to the social development committee as an issue for my riding and residents in NWT.
This issue should be brought up with the Minister of Justice in the social development committee and to ask the question today to restore the K-9 unit in Hay River. This unit to exist is a tool that the police enforcement can use to transport them to dismantle the drug trade in small communities in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, in the 20th Assembly, we put forward four priorities. The fourth priority is safe residents and communities. Specifically, Mr. Speaker, we need to protect our residents in the NWT and do whatever we can so our communities, and especially our elders and vulnerable children, feel safe and want to remain in small communities. This is why I bring forward this motion today, Mr. Speaker.
And, Mr. Speaker, we are all impacted by the drug trade here in the Northwest Territories, especially in the small communities. I get calls daily from residents very frustrated. And at the same time, the RCMP's hands are tied because of policies. And right now as it is, I've experienced calls from young people that are looking at how to get out of it, and sometimes there's just no help.
So, Mr. Speaker, as a former leader in my community, the drug trade is alive and well. It's running rampant throughout the Northwest Territories. And as my colleague mentioned earlier from Monfwi is that it's out of control. And we got to figure out a way how we could give the tools needed to the RCMP to combat this issue. And this is just the beginning. I don't expect this thing to happen overnight, but I think if we are able to start looking for solutions, this is one of them. So, Mr. Speaker, I will introduce this motion today, and I ask for the Members' support on this. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. To the motion. Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I, too, concur with everything that the Member for Tu Nedhe said about the safety in the communities. My community too is affected. All my communities in my riding are affected because they're along the highway. This motion is important for the safety and well-being of residents in my riding, and this motion also falls within the priorities of this government.
In my community, there's the increase of crimes, assaults, thefts, break and enters, and these are all attributed to drugs that are coming into our communities. Having a K-9 unit available to the RCMP in our community with help with combatting the drug issues that we're facing in our communities. So with that, I will be supporting -- I am supporting this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. To the motion. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to stand and support this motion, and I thank the Member for bringing it forward. This is -- as he stated very clearly, this is not one community's issue. It is not a small community issue; it's not a Yellowknife issue; this is an issue for everyone. Everyone in the Northwest Territories, regardless of where they are in -- which is shocking when you consider how far-flung and remote some of our communities are. When it comes to this K-9 unit, this is a very specialized unit of police that serves an essential role in helping combat drug trafficking and helping tackle drug crimes in communities.
There used to be a unit in Hay River, and it was moved to Yellowknife. And my understanding is now that is -- Yellowknife allows it to be mobile, Mr. Speaker. But I understand where the intention of this is. So it is deployed throughout the Northwest Territories, but I think more of this specialized type of work is important. It's important to have these resources, especially as Hay River is the hub of the North, and it is a place where it's the first port of entry for many people. And, unfortunately, that includes drug traffickers and gangsters. And having these resources close to the hub, close to the border, is only going to help us fight against these predators and take back our communities. So I support this 100 percent. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. To the motion. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support the Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh bringing this motion. I think it's a wise -- it's a very targeted motion, which is in other words of saying here's a problem and here's a straightforward solution, and I recognize his work and advocacy on this issue, and I think the community -- his communities are lucky to have him. I also want to thank the Member for Deh Cho for speaking passionately about this issue. I mean, without her support on this, you know, I mean, it's nice to see great support, you know, to get on this particular topic. Again, good Members all working together.
Mr. Speaker, the motion speaks for itself. It's connected as a solution to help address and deter, stop in any way possible, drugs and the crime that comes with it. I don't want to dwell; in other words, I don't want to speak too detailed. But, I mean, we've seen the impacts even in the South Slave on how drug crime can lead to terrible, if not horrific things, as we remember what happened in that tragedy so many years ago. You know, that wasn't just a terrible accident of circumstances. That was a reflection of violent terrible crime, Mr. Speaker. Could a drug dog have solved that at the time? I don't know. But I can tell you all I can say is this: Drug crime is getting worse in the Northwest Territories and we need to use every tool in our toolbox and find more tools to put in our toolbox and go to anywhere we can do any work, Mr. Speaker. This problem isn't isolated in the South Slave but that said, we got to start somewhere, and we shouldn't be afraid to say, hey, there, maybe then we can look at moving one north or establishing one north in those communities. Again it's not a reflection of the communities themselves, it's the fact that this is the pressure and response they need because they're being weighed down on this, Mr. Speaker.
So I will support this motion without any hesitation, and I want to clearly articulate whatever money needs to be done to address this particular issue, I fully support. Bring forward a supp, and I'll be championing it amongst anybody who wants to challenge it, I'll say, no, this is wrong, and this is what we need to do to respond. So I say bring on the money. I'm behind this initiative. Good job to my colleagues on this side of the House. Again, demonstrating and meeting the needs of regular people, including our communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. To the motion. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting this motion. For all I've said in this Chamber and outside of this Chamber, direct to the point, let find solutions and move on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. To the motion. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting this motion. You know, it's hard to see your people suffer, your family members, your community members. It's hard to see them suffer. And trying to find a solution to this ongoing problem, it's hard. I hope this motion will start the process. We've tried every avenue. We've met with the RCMP. We've met with Indigenous leaders, governments. We're just having a tough time dealing with this ongoing battle. Like I stated, it's hard to see your family members suffering. They don't know how much they're suffering, and the drug dealers from southern Canada are the ones that are imposing this undue stress on our family members. They come up here, and they take the lives of our loved ones. We have a lot of educated people, members in our communities, that are lost to this drug. I know a lot of family members who are well educated, had good jobs, went to college, but now they're actually fighting for their lives. They don't know how much they've impacted their immediate family, their children. They don't know how much they've impacted their community, all the resources that are trying to help them. We just need help, and I hope this motion will bring forward some security. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. To the motion. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't say that I disagree with much of what has been said today, and I've heard much of this from my MLA colleague from Hay River, the MLA for Hay River South, as well as the previous MLA for Hay River South, as well as myself as MLA for Hay River North. So I definitely recognize the scope of this issue. The government will be taking our time to formulate a response to this, so we will be abstaining from this vote, but we'll come back with a response in 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh to close.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I keep thinking about the people in the small communities that this issue has impacted. I have family, friends, relatives, like my colleague from the Mackenzie Delta talked about. You know, this motion I will say be for them and also for the ones we lost.
So I want to thank my colleagues. And I look forward to working with Cabinet on this issue, and my colleagues are also looking at supporting this, a way to make this thing happen. So, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say mahsi to my colleagues and to my friends as well, this is for you. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask for a recorded vote. Mahsi.
